More revenue in the county coffers means there's technically a tax increase for the 2006 tax year. Even though County Commissioners voted to leave the millage rate the same on property taxes, the term "increase" has to be used.

According to McDuffie County Manager Don Norton, there was $147,000 of additional taxes. That equates to an increase of 2.6 percent in the incorporated areas and 0.46 percent in the unincorporated areas.

The additional tax dollars are due to an increase in some assessed property values and new properties on the tax roles.

Commissioners approved leaving the millage rate alone Tuesday because the budget they tentatively adopted required the extra revenue for balancing. After holding the required three public hearings, they chose not to roll the millage rate back, which would have only collected the same amount of money as the current year.

The county's millage rate will remain 7.8 in the unincorporated areas and 8.5 in the incorporated areas. Commissioners also formally confirmed the Board of Education's millage rate at 15.3.

Coupled with the required state millage rate of 0.25 mills, the total rate for the unincorporated areas is 23.35, and for the incorporated areas it is 24.05.